OH HEAVENS! STRONGLY WORDED LETTERS!
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) sent a letter late yesterday to Steve Jobs asking why Apple is collecting user data from phones and 3G iPads, why the data isn't encrypted and so on. Franken is the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee's new privacy panel. Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) also sent Apple a letter. Inslee is part of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and said he'd not only pressure Apple, but also work to get privacy legislation moving forward. Politico reports Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) is going to join this list. Politico says Markey is also wondering whether the tracking violates Sect. 222 of the Communications Act he authored, which requires companies to get consent before using or disclosing user location data. Politico also reports the FCC said it's looking into the matter, too.

John Moe is the host of Marketplace Tech Report and handles web content for the program. Every day, he provides an insightful overview of the latest tech news using his witty and approachable style of reporting.